3 weeks.
That's all that was left of Dan's chemotherapy, and he couldn't wait until it was over. His favorite part about it, though, was that he still had all his hair.
Home from school with a terrible cold, Dan just laid around and slept, watched anime, scrolled through Tumblr, took his meds, ate, and repeated.
Dan shivered under his mountain of blankets. How was he still cold? Six different fleece blankets were piled on top of him, so heavy he could hardly breathe. He frowned. Phil would be able to keep me warm, he thought.
During Phil's lunch period, he and Dan texted back and forth until the bell for the next class rang.
AmazingPhil: Do you want me to bring you anything later?
DanielHowell: Can you bring a Happy Meal?
DanielHowell: With the toy?
AmazingPhil: 😂 I'll bring it right after school.
DanielHowell: Thank youuuuuu <3
"Dan!" His mother called. "Time to go grab your prescription cold medicine."
"Alright," Dan sighed, not wanting to get up. He pushed through the blankets weighing him down and pulls on his sneakers.
"Let's go."
Pulling into the drugstore parking lot, Dan turned to his mother and asked, "Do I have to go in? I don't want to get anyone in there sick."
"Oh, boo-hoo," His mother replied with a wave of her hand. "It's a drugstore. Sick people come in all the time. I guarantee their floors have been thrown up on, as well."
Dan cringed. "That's exactly the kind of image I wanted in my head right now," he said sarcastically. "Thanks for that, Mum."
"Anytime, honey."
Dan followed his mother through the automatic doors to the back of the drugstore where the medicine would be picked up.
"Hello there," Said a middle aged man with tiny glasses placed on his nose. "How can I help you today?"
"We're here to pick up a prescription medication," Dan's mother said, handing the man the paper.
"Obviously," Dan added on with a sneeze. The man smiled.
"I'll be right back." He disappeared into the small store room holding everything they need.
The man came back to the desk with an uneasy look on his face. "There must be a mistake," he said. "This is for patients going through chemotherapy."
Mrs. Howell looked ready to slap the balding man across the face for such a comment.
Dan just looked at the man with a blank expression, his mind shutting down.
Through gritted teeth, "Yes, sir, that's what we need," she spat.
The man looked at her unsurely. "Is it for either of you or a family member?"
Her eyes widening in rage, Dan's mother began, "It's none of your busin-"
"It's for me." Dan cut her off.
"That sucks. What kind is it?"
Dan couldn't have imagined a more insensitive question.
"How dare-"
"Pancreatic." Dan just wanted this whole thing to be over.
"That's terrible." The man leaned forward on the desk. "Is it serious?"
Dan laced his fingers together behind his back and twiddled his thumbs anxiously. "Well it's cancer, so..." out of the corner of his eye, Dan saw his mother's grip tighten on the handle of her bag.
The employee came from behind the counter and slapped Dan on the back a bit too hard, making Dan wince. "I believe in you. You can get through it."
"We'll be going now," Dan's mother said, pulling out her wallet.
"I don't think that's how cancer works. I don't have any control over it," Dan mumbled to the floor. "Besides, almost everyone with pancreatic cancer dies."
Scanning the card Mrs. Howell handed him hastily, "I believe in you," he repeated awkwardly and handed Dan the medicine.
Dan and his mother walk silently to their car, still in shock of what happened in the drugstore.
The moment the car started moving toward the Howell household, the first tears escaped Dan's eyes.
***
Dan opened the door to see Phil stranded there with a Happy Meal in his hands. Dan pulled him close, the box of food crushing against his chest.
They went inside and sat on the couch with an anime rerun playing on the television. Dan opened the Happy Meal to see a Pokémon toy resting under the food. He smiled and pulled it out.
"How was your day? School was boring without you," Phil said while stroking Dan's hair as he leaned into Phil.
Dan recounted the story of the guy from the pharmacy, trying not to let his emotions get the best of him. Phil just listened.
"What the hell?" Phil said when Dan was finally done. Anger boiled in his chest. "I'm going down there right now." Phil began to move the blanket over his legs.
"No, Phil, don't." Dan grabbed his arm and pulled him back into the couch.
Phil kissed Dan's forehead, nose, then lips. "Okay. Whatever you want."
Nestling into Phil's side Dan said, "What I want, is to be here and enjoy my time with you."
And that's what they did.
Word count: 835
